Overview user interface of emergency call data of a law enforcement agency

ABSTRACT

Techniques in this disclosure may provide a user interface that concurrently displays multiple panels which provide visualization of emergency call data of a law enforcement agency. The user interface can provide a high-level overview of emergency calls in a geographical area. Each panel in the user interface can provide visualization of the emergency calls and/or statistics relating to the calls. A user can customize which panels to include in the user interface and/or customize setting for each panel. The user may apply various types of filters to the data displayed in the user interface, and the panels can update the visualizations according to the filters. The user interface can also provide the ability to show data at various levels of detail within the same user interface or panel. The techniques in the disclosure can provide a convenient, digestible overview of tactical and/or strategic data in a single user interface.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/581,823, filed Dec. 23, 2014, which application is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 14/108,187, filed Dec. 16, 2013, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/893,058, filed Oct.18, 2013, the entire content of which is incorporated herein byreference. Any and all applications for which a foreign or domesticpriority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed withthe present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37CFR 1.57.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and techniques for dataintegration, analysis, and visualization. More specifically, the presentdisclosure relates to visualization of law enforcement agency data.

BACKGROUND

Law enforcement agencies (e.g., a police department of a city) canmonitor emergency calls in a designated area. Systems and methods forallowing such agencies to better (e.g., more quickly, more accurately,etc.) interact with such data are desired.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices described herein each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure, severalnon-limiting features will now be discussed briefly.

In one embodiment, a computer system configured to provide acustomizable user interface relating to visualization of data associatedwith a law enforcement agency comprises: one or more hardware computerprocessors configured to execute code in order to cause the system to:generate a user interface configured to concurrently display a pluralityof panels each including a visual representation based on emergency calldata of a law enforcement agency, the emergency call data comprisingdata associated with a plurality of emergency calls, wherein theplurality of panels comprises at least: a first panel displaying a mapof a geographical region associated with the law enforcement agency, themap of the geographical region comprising a plurality of selectableprecinct indicators representing a corresponding plurality of precinctsfor which the law enforcement agency has at least some law enforcementresponsibilities, the first panel configured to: in response toreceiving a selection of a particular precinct indicator correspondingto a particular precinct, update the first panel to display one or moreemergency call indicators representing a corresponding one or moreemergency calls within the particular precinct; and in response toreceiving a selection of a particular emergency call indicatorcorresponding to a particular emergency call, update the first panel todisplay information relating to the particular emergency call.

In another embodiment, a method of providing a customizable userinterface relating to visualization of data associated with a lawenforcement agency comprises: generating, using one or more hardwarecomputer processors, a user interface configured to concurrently displaya plurality of panels each including a visual representation based onemergency call data of a law enforcement agency, the emergency call datacomprising data associated with a plurality of emergency calls;displaying in the user interface at least a first panel of the pluralityof panels, the first panel displaying a map of a geographical regionassociated with the law enforcement agency, the map of the geographicalregion comprising a plurality of selectable precinct indicatorsrepresenting a corresponding plurality of precincts for which the lawenforcement agency has at least some law enforcement responsibilities;in response to receiving a selection of a particular precinct indicatorcorresponding to a particular precinct, updating the first panel todisplay one or more emergency call indicators representing acorresponding one or more emergency calls within the particularprecinct; and in response to receiving a selection of a particularemergency call indicator corresponding to a particular emergency call,updating the first panel to display information relating to theparticular emergency call.

In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprises instructions for providing a customizable user interfacerelating to visualization of data associated with a law enforcementagency that cause a computer processor to: generate a user interfaceconfigured to concurrently display a plurality of panels each includinga visual representation based on emergency call data of a lawenforcement agency, the emergency call data comprising data associatedwith a plurality of emergency calls; display in the user interface atleast a first panel of the plurality of panels, the first paneldisplaying a map of a geographical region associated with the lawenforcement agency, the map of the geographical region comprising aplurality of selectable precinct indicators representing a correspondingplurality of precincts for which the law enforcement agency has at leastsome law enforcement responsibilities; in response to receiving aselection of a particular precinct indicator corresponding to aparticular precinct, update the first panel to display one or moreemergency call indicators representing a corresponding one or moreemergency calls within the particular precinct; and in response toreceiving a selection of a particular emergency call indicatorcorresponding to a particular emergency call, update the first panel todisplay information relating to the particular emergency call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface comprisingmultiple panels for visualizing various aspects of emergency call dataof a law enforcement agency.

FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate one embodiment of a panel for visualizingemergency calls in a geographical area associated with a law enforcementagency at various levels of detail.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a panel for visualization of highpriority emergency calls in a geographical area associated with a lawenforcement agency.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a panel for visualization ofstatistics comparing past jobs and current jobs.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a panel for visualization ofstatistics relating to common radio codes.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a panel for visualization ofstatistics relating to common radio subcodes.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a user interface comprisingmultiple panels for visualizing data of a law enforcement agency.

FIGS. 8A-8I illustrate various panels that can be included in a userinterface for visualizing data of a law enforcement agency.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart for providing a user interface includingmultiple panels for visualizing emergency call data of a law enforcementagency, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of a database system using anontology.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer system with which certain methodsdiscussed herein may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Overview

Techniques in this disclosure may provide a user interface thatconcurrently displays multiple panels which provide visualization ofemergency call data of a law enforcement agency, such as data that isspecifically pertinent to a particular agency director/supervisor. Forexample, the panels on an “executive dashboard,” may be customized toinclude the most relevant/useful data for a particular user, department,or agency, for example. In one embodiment, the panels provide summarydata that is useful for a director, supervisor, or other “executive,”while still allowing the executive to drill down into the data in orderto view detailed information about any summarized data. For example, topofficials or decision makers of a law enforcement agency, such as policechiefs or sheriffs, may not be interested in the details of each call,but would want to know which sections or divisions in the geographicalarea have a high level of unassigned calls.

The user interface can provide a high-level overview of emergency callsin a geographical area that is overseen by the law enforcement agency.Examples of law enforcement agencies include police departments (e.g.,NYPD, LAPD, etc.), sheriff's departments, etc. Each panel in the userinterface can provide a visualization (e.g., a chart, graph, diagram,list, map, drawing, etc.) indicating aspects related to emergency callsand/or statistics relating to the calls. For example, the user interfacecan include a panel that displays the number of emergency calls byprecinct or section on a map of the geographical area.

A user (e.g., system administrator, analyst, etc.) can customize whichpanels to include in the user interface and/or customize setting foreach panel. For instance, the user can specify which panels should beincluded in the user interface, dimensions and/or size of a panel, theorder in which the panels should be displayed, etc. Then, the userinterface can determine the optimal layout and display the panelsaccording to the user specified requirements. In one embodiment, a firstuser, such as a system administrator, customizes the user interface foruse by one or more other users, such as analysts. Alternatively, theuser that views and interacts with the user interface may customize theuser interface.

The user may apply various types of filters to the data displayed in theuser interface, and the panels can update the visualizations accordingto the filters. For example, the user may wish to view emergency callsin a specific time frame and apply a filter for that time frame, and thevisualizations in all or some of the panels can be automatically updatedto show the results of applying the filter. The user interface can alsoprovide the ability to show data at various levels of detail within thesame user interface. For instance, the user can click on an emergencycall in the precinct or section, and the details of the call can bedisplayed in the same panel. In this manner, the techniques in thedisclosure can provide a convenient, digestible overview of tacticaland/or strategic data in a single user interface.

In one embodiment, the executive dashboard allows a user to easilyidentify trends (geographic, temporal, etc.) based on Computer AidedDispatch (CAD) Job data. Maps allow the user to visualize CAD Jobsgeographically, with the option to view the map with a street view orbased on precinct zones. Various charts also display time-based trends,allowing users to compare current conditions with conditions from lastweek (or another time in the past). Filters allow the user to drill downfurther based on various criteria, including radio code, precinct, andstatus. These features, as well as others that may be implemented invarious embodiments, are discuss further below.

Example Executive Dashboard

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface 100 comprisingmultiple panels 110 (including panels 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, 110 d, and110 e) for visualizing various aspects of emergency call data of a lawenforcement agency. In the example of FIG. 1, the user interface 100includes five different panels 110. Each panel is explained in moredetail with respect to FIGS. 2-6. The first panel 110 a is a map of ageographical area under the control of the law enforcement agency.Details relating to the first panel are explained with respect to FIGS.2A-2E. The second panel 110 b is a table of high priority calls for thegeographical area. Details relating to the second panel are explainedwith respect to FIG. 3. The third panel 110 c is a bar chart showing acomparison of number of jobs at current time and a past time. Detailsrelating to the third panel are explained with respect to FIG. 4. Thefourth panel 110 d is a bar chart showing the top radio codes. Detailsrelating to the fourth panel are explained with respect to FIG. 5. Thefifth panel 110 e is a bar chart showing the top radio subcodes. Detailsrelating to the fifth panel are explained with respect to FIG. 6.

As explained above, the panels 110 in the user interface 100 can becustomized, and the settings for a panel 110 can also be customized. Theuser can choose the types of panels 110 that are included in the userinterface 100. Some examples of types of panels 110 include, wherepanels are referenced based on a type of visualization included with thepanels: map, table, bar chart, line graph, flow diagram, word clouddiagram, etc. Visualizations may also be referred to as a “visualrepresentations.” These types of panels 110 are further explained withrespect to FIGS. 2-8. The user may also define the order in which thepanels 110 should be displayed. The layout engine for the user interface100 can display the panels 110 in the order specified. A layout enginecan generate or render the user interface 100 and the panels 110included in the user interface 100.

The user can also specify the dimensions or size for a particular panel110 and/or multiple or all panels 110. In one embodiment, the size of apanel 110 is defined by number of rows and columns, and the layoutengine renders the panels 110 in the user interface 100 based on thesize of each panel 110. Specifying in terms of rows and columns may makethe process simpler since the user does not have to use pixels. Forinstance, the rows and columns may be defined by a unit that isassociated with a group of pixels. The sizes of panels 110 can be thesame or different from each other. In some embodiments, the user maydefine the number of columns in the user interface 100, and the panels110 are arranged in columns. The customization setting for the panels110 may be specified for an individual, a group of individuals, theentire organization, etc.

The user interface 100 may also include one or more filters 150 to applyto the data displayed in the user interface 100. Types of filters caninclude: keyword filters, date filters, area filters (e.g., precinct orother geographic filters), call information filters (e.g., radio code,caller information, etc), or filters based on any other attributeassociated with the emergency call data. Such filters may be configuredusing any available user interface controls, such as radio buttons,drop-down lists, text entry fields, etc. The example in FIG. 1 includesa radio code filter 150 a, a time filter 150 b, a precinct filter 150 c,and a patrol borough filter 150 d. In the radio code filter 150 a, theuser can type in the radio code of interest (or select via any otheruser interface controls), and the user interface 100 filters the resultsin one or more panels 110 according to the radio code. The radio codefilter 150 a may accept one or more radio codes. A “radio code” mayrefer to a code used by a law enforcement agency to indicate a specifictype of situation and/or action. For example, a particular radio codecan indicate robbery or burglary. In one embodiment, radio codes may begrouped such that the user (e.g., an executive) can filter data includedin the various panels based on a group identifier (e.g., violent crimes)that include multiple radio codes.

The time filter 150 b can accept a time frame or time period from theuser. The time frame may be a range, a specific time, or a specificdate. The time filter 150 b can be selected using a date picker, a dropdown menu that provides a list of time frames as options, or other userinterface controls. The precinct filter 150 c and the patrol boroughfilter 150 d can filter the data by precinct and by patrol borough,respectively. They may be drop down menus (or other user interfacecontrols) that provide a list of precincts and a list of patrolboroughs. In one example, a patrol borough consists of one or moreprecincts (e.g., in New York City). The list of precincts provided bythe precinct filter 150 c can vary based on the borough selected in thepatrol borough filter 150 d. A “precinct” may refer to a geographicalsection or division within a geographical area that is served by or isunder the jurisdiction of a particular law enforcement agency. Differentterms may be used by various law enforcement agencies to refer to suchgeographical section or division within the geographical area (e.g.,“area”, “division,” etc.).

The type and/or content of information displayed in the panels 110and/or the user interface 100 may vary depending on the requirements ofa law enforcement agency. For example, one law enforcement agency couldbe interested in viewing emergency call data; this law enforcementagency may want to view data for various precincts and quickly determinewhich precincts have a backlog in terms of resource assignment. The userinterface 100 and the panels 110 can show which precincts have a highnumber of jobs that are not assigned to a resource. On the other hand,another law enforcement agency might be more interested in viewingarrest data. Examples of user interface and panels displaying arrestdata are discussed in detail in connection with FIGS. 7-8.

The user interface 100 may be generated by systems described withrespect to FIGS. 10-11. Such systems can be based on object-centric datamodels. For example, any data displayed in the user interface 100 may berepresented by data objects, links, relationships, etc. as explainedwith respect to FIGS. 10-11. In some embodiments, the user interface 100can be provided in connection with the systems described in connectionwith FIGS. 10-11. For instance, the user interface 100 may beimplemented as an overview layer for such systems, e.g., based on thedata of the systems. The user interface 100 can be generated by aplatform configured to build the overview layer. Details relating tosystems that may generate or create the user interface 100 are furtherexplained with respect to FIG. 7.

A panel 110 can include any type of visualization. For example, thepanels 110 in the user interface 100 may include any of thevisualizations illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8I, in addition to thevisualizations illustrated in FIGS. 2-6. The user interface 100 and thepanels 110 in the user interface 110 can be easily configured andcustomized. The panels 110 may be easily rearranged (e.g., by drag anddrop), and the dimensions of the panels 110 can be specified in a simplemanner (e.g., by number of rows and columns or resizing with a mouse ortouchscreen input). Details regarding customizability of the userinterface 110 are further explained with respect to FIGS. 7-8.

Example Drill-Down of Emergency Call Data

FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate one embodiment of a panel 200 for visualizingemergency calls in a geographical area associated with a law enforcementagency at various levels of detail. The panel 200 displays a map 260 ofa geographical area under the control of the law enforcement agency,which can provide a high-level overview of emergency call activity inthe area, while allowing the user to zoom in on particular areas to beprovided with lower-level details. Moving from general information tomore detailed information may be referred to as “drilling down.” Thepanel 200 can provide the ability to drill down within the actual panel200, which may be one of multiple panels included in an executivedashboard.

In FIG. 2A, the panel 200 displays a map 260 of precincts that are underthe jurisdiction of the law enforcement agency. The number of emergencycalls for a precinct can be shown in circles or orbs 230. For example,the number for circle 230 a is “15,” which indicates that the currentnumber of emergency calls in that precinct is 15. The circles 230 mayserve as visual indicators for different precincts and may beselectable. In some embodiments, other indicators of data associatedwith particular precincts may be used, such as other shapes, overlays,etc. For example, in one embodiment, a precinct area on a map may beoverlaid with a color, gradient, shading, etc. to indicate dataassociated with the precinct (e.g., color may be shaded differentlybased on quantity of calls in a precinct relative to other precincts)and/or selection of a precinct. The circles 230 may be color coded orotherwise distinguished (e.g., by pattern) according to the value of thenumber. A legend 210 may provide an explanation for a color or apattern. In FIG. 2A, the patterns indicate a quantity of calls withineach area. In this example, a first pattern in the legend 210 refers toless than 10 emergency calls; a second pattern refers to between 10 and100 calls; and a third pattern refers to more than 100 calls. Dependingon the embodiment, patterns may be replaced with or supplemented byother visual indications, such as different colors of circles (or othershaped indicator), font changes, blinking text/circles, etc.Furthermore, in some embodiment, the pattern criteria may be userdefined and/or automatically adjusted by the system. For example, a usermay adjust patterns (or colors or other visual indicators) todistinguish between precincts having less than 20, between 20 and 200,and more than 200. In one embodiment, the system may automaticallyselect the most informative ranges based on quantities of calls invarious precincts, for example. In some embodiments, the patterns (orother visual indicators) may be based on percentages (e.g., calls perpopulation of a precinct) or other parameters. FIGS. 2A-2D use the term“pin,” which may refer to a visual indicator that represents aparticular emergency call. FIG. 2A does not include any pins, but showsanother legend 220 that provides explanations for colors or patternsused for the pins.

FIG. 2B illustrates the same panel 200 as in FIG. 2A, now with aparticular precinct selected on the map 260 in the panel 200. Forexample, the user hovers over the circle 230 a (with a mouse pointer,touchscreen, or other input device) for a precinct, and the boundary forthat precinct is indicated on the map 260. The user can click on thecircle 230 a to select the precinct. FIG. 2C illustrates the panel 200after the user has selected circle 230 a, wherein the panel 200 nowincludes a magnified view of the geographic area of the precinctassociated with circle 230 a and the surrounding area.

FIG. 2D illustrates the panel 200 updated so the map 260 displays thepins representing emergency calls within the particular selectedprecinct (associated with circle 230 a in this example). In thisembodiment, emergency calls can be represented by visual indicators,which can be referred to as “pins” as explained above, and the pins 240can be color-coded or otherwise distinguished (e.g., by pattern)according to type of the emergency call, time call has been open,urgency of call, and/or other characteristics of the call. The legend220 can provide information relating to each color or pattern used forpins 240. The pin details illustrated in FIG. 2D may be displayed inresponse to the user selecting the circle 230 a for the precinct in thepanel 200 of FIG. 2C or may be displayed initially when the map ismagnified in response to selecting circle 230 a in the panel 200 of FIG.2B.

In FIGS. 2A-2D, the legend 220 lists the radio codes used to classifythe emergency calls. The pins 240 may have different shapes. Forexample, square pins 240 b may be used to indicate emergency calls thatoccurred within the past hour, whereas circular pins 240 a may be usedas the default shape.

FIG. 2E illustrates the panel 200 displaying details relating to anemergency call when the user clicks on (or hovers over or otherwiseselects) a particular pin 240 a. In this embodiment, the details aredisplayed near the pin 240 a. The details may include the job number,the time and date of the job, location of the job, comments, etc. A jobmay be created for one or more emergency calls, and the law enforcementagency may manage various emergency calls by handling and processing thejobs. In this manner, the user interface 100 can display generalinformation and detailed information in the same panel 200. Moredetailed information may be displayed in a separate window within thepanel 200. For example, the emergency call can be represented as anobject by the system that provides the user interface, and a separatepop-up window can be displayed to show various properties relating tothe object. The window can have some degree of transparency so that itdoes not block the visualization behind it. The separate window may bereferred to as the “object inspector.”

If any filters are applied in the user interface, as in FIG. 1, the datain the panel 200 may be filtered accordingly. For example, the emergencycalls displayed in the panel 200 may be calls for a particular timeframe (e.g., a specific shift of the police department). In certainembodiments, the map 260 may include other features and functionalitiesdescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/917,571,filed Jun. 13, 2013, entitled “INTERACTIVE GEOSPATIAL MAP,” which isincorporated by reference in its entirety.

Other Example Panels

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a panel 300 for visualization ofhigh priority emergency calls in a geographical area associated with alaw enforcement agency. Priority can refer to the urgency or importancelevel of a job. Lower numbers may indicate higher priority. In someimplementations, priority is determined based on the radio code, such asautomatically by the system (e.g., radio codes are mapped to prioritiesso that the system can automatically look up a priority when a radiocode is known) or manually by the dispatch operator, for example. Thepriority can be updated based on circumstances related to a call, suchas by officers on the scene or by changing events. In the embodimentsdiscussed herein, lower numbers indicate higher priorities, but in otherembodiments different priority scales and orders may be used todistinguish priorities of particular calls.

In the example of FIG. 3, the panel 300 is a table or tabularvisualization. In FIG. 3, the panel 300 provides a table 310 of highpriority calls. The table 310 can be organized as a number of pages, andone page may be displayed at a time. Multiple pages of the table 310 canbe navigated using “prev,” “next,” “first,” and “last” buttons. Eachpage in the table may be scrollable within the panel 300. Theinformation in the table 310 can be displayed in rows and columns. Typesof information displayed in the table 310 can include date, job ID ornumber, precinct, priority, etc. The table 310 can support sorting, andthe emergency calls in the table 310 may be sorted based on priority.For example, the table 310 displays the calls with higher priority(e.g., priority level “3” in FIG. 3) first, then displays the calls withlower priority (e.g., priority level “4”). The calls may be sorted bypriority and then sorted by time within the same priority level. Theexample of FIG. 3 shows calls with priority level “3” first, and withinthe calls having priority level “3”, more recent calls are listed first.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a panel 400 for visualization ofstatistics comparing past jobs and current jobs. Law enforcementagencies may be interested in seeing trends for number of jobs overtime, which may be referred to as historical trends. As explained above,a job may be created for each emergency call, and the law enforcementagency can process the jobs to handle the emergency calls. For example,a particular law enforcement agency might want a comparison of currentjobs and jobs from two weeks prior. The panel 400 provides a bar chart410 of past jobs and current jobs. The law enforcement agency can selecta time in the past for the comparison and/or a default time isautomatically selected. The x-axis for the bar chart 410 indicates timeperiods of a day, and the y-axis represents the number of jobs. In theexample of FIG. 4, the maximum number of jobs on the y-axis is 1,400. Inthe panel 400, each set of bars 420 represents the number of currentjobs and the number of past jobs at a certain time in the day. Inparticular, the first set of bars 420 a illustrates jobs from 14 daysago during the 8-9 am time period as bar 422 a and jobs on the currentday during the 8-9 am time period as bar 424 a. In this embodiment,similar bars for the previous and current period during different hourlyperiods are illustrated. The bars for past jobs 422 and the bars forcurrent jobs 424 can be distinguished by color or pattern. The legend430 can include an explanation for a particular color or pattern. Thepattern 432 indicates past jobs, and the pattern 434 indicates currentjobs.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a panel 500 for visualization ofstatistics relating to common radio codes. The panel 500 provides a barchart 510 for top ten radio codes. As mentioned above, radio codes cansignify different types of situations and/or responses. For example,“10-54” refers to ambulance calls, “10-53” refers to vehicle accidents,and “10-10” refers to general crimes (e.g., shoplifting, shots fired,suspicious vehicle, etc.). The top ten radio code bar chart 510 canprovide an overview of which types of jobs being dispatched are mostcommon at a glance. Depending on the filters that are applied, the panel500 may show the top ten radio codes for a patrol borough, a precinct, atime frame, etc.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a panel 600 for visualization ofstatistics relating to common radio subcodes. The panel 600 provides abar chart 610 for the top ten radio subcodes. The bar chart 610 can besimilar to the bar chart 510 in FIG. 5. The bar chart 610 for top tenradio subcodes can provide further details on which types of jobs aremore common within particular radio codes. As in FIG. 6, the most commonsubcodes may be from the same radio code. Depending on the filters thatare applied, the panel 600 may show the top ten radio subcodes for apatrol borough, a precinct, a time frame, etc.

Example Executive Dashboard

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a user interface 700 comprisingmultiple panels 710 for visualizing data of a law enforcement agency,referred to as an Executive Dashboard. FIG. 7 uses arrest data forillustrative purposes, but the user interface 700 can also be used todisplay emergency call data. Similar to the user interface 100 in FIG.1, the user interface 700 includes multiple panels that provide variousinformation related to law enforcement activities. However, userinterface 700 includes different types of information in differentpanels that are of interest to the particular executive that views theuser interface 700. Accordingly, the executive dashboard system allowsdifferent users to focus on types of information that are most importantto the particular user, and panels included on such executive dashboardsmay vary between law enforcement agencies and even between differentusers within a same law enforcement organization (e.g., two detectivesin a police department may have different panels on their executivedashboards). As another example, two police departments in differentregions of the U.S. could be interested in showing different types ofinformation in the user interface 700 or user interface 100. The userinterface 700 illustrates additional panels that are not included inuser interface 100 and, as discussed herein, other user interfaces maybe configured to include any portion of the panels discussed withreferences to FIG. 1 or 7.

In the example of FIG. 7, the user interface 700 includes nine differentpanels 710. Each panel 710 can include a visualization relating to thedata of the law enforcement agency. The panels 710 are explained in moredetail with respect to FIGS. 8A-8I. The panel 710 a provides a map ofimportant arrests in a geographical area (e.g., the U.S). The panel 710b provides a bar chart showing arrests by region. The panel 710 cprovides a bar chart showing arrest priority. The panel 710 d includes atable of high priority calls for the geographical area. The panel 710 eis an information panel showing brief details of the largest arrest. Thepanel 710 f includes a line graph or time series chart showing arresttrend. The panel 710 g includes a sankey or flow diagram. The panel 710h shows a word diagram or a word cloud diagram. The panel 710 i showsanother line graph or time series chart showing arrest trend bypriority. Details relating to the panels 710 a-710 i are explained withrespect to FIGS. 8A-8I, respectively.

Other types of visualizations can include a line graph, object summary,pie chart, time wheel, time series chart, etc. A time wheel may refer toa circular representation of a unit of time (e.g., an hour, a day, aweek, a month), which may be subdivided into smaller units of time. Thepanels 710 can be similar to the panels 110 in the user interface 100. Apanel 710 can include any type of visualization. For example, the panels710 in the user interface 700 may include any of the visualizationsillustrated in FIGS. 2-6, in addition to the visualizations illustratedin FIGS. 8A-8 i. The panels 710, 110 can update or refresh periodically(e.g., at a specified interval), in response to an action or an input(e.g., keywords in a keyword filter), in response to changes ininformation in another panel 710, 110 (e.g., from application of one ormore filters), etc.

Similar to FIG. 1, the user interface 700 can also include one or morefilters 750 to apply to the data displayed in the user interface 700.Types of filters can include: keyword filters, multiple value filters,date filters, etc. The example in FIG. 7 includes a time filter 750 a, aregion filter 750 b, and a priority filter 750 c. The time filter 750 acan accept a time frame or time period from the user. In the example ofFIG. 7, the time filter 750 a is a drop down menu, and “past year” isselected as the relevant time frame. The region filter 750 b may also bea drop down menu, but in the example of FIG. 7, no value is selected forthe region. Therefore, the data shown in the user interface 700 is notfiltered for a particular region. The priority filter 750 c may be amulti-value filter that can accept multiple values. Here, selectedpriority levels are “high” and “urgent.”

The user interface 700 can be configured so that visualizations in allof the panels 710 may be automatically updated (e.g., in realtime). Inone embodiment, the visualizations are updated in response to changes tothe filter criteria. In another embodiment, only a portion of the panels710 are updated in response to filter changes, such as a predefined setof panels 710 and/or a user selected group of panels 710. In this way,the user may be able to view unfiltered data in one or more panels 710,while adjusting filters that are automatically applied to other panels710. In another embodiment, different sets of filters may be applied todifferent sets of one or more panels 710.

The user interface 700 or the user interface 100 may be implemented as alayer on top of systems using object centric data models as describedwith respect to FIGS. 10-11. For example, the user interface 700, 100can be an overview layer that provides a high-level overview of data inthe underlying systems. As mentioned above, the overview layer may bereferred to as the “executive dashboard” since it displays relevanthigh-level data in one user interface and can be useful to executivesand decision makers. The user interface 700, 100 can be a web interfaceor a user interface for an application program. The underlying systemsmay web applications or native applications.

A platform may be provided for building overview layers forobject-centric systems. For example, such platform can be provided bythe systems described in FIGS. 10-11. The platform may be used togenerate the user interface 700, 100. An interface may be providedbetween the overview layer and the underlying system or data source inorder to provide a level of abstraction. By using a standard interface,an overview layer can be compatible with any type of underlying systemor data source. For example, abstract forms of filters and data may beprovided, and these abstract filters and data can be compatible withsystems or data sources using different formats. The data displayed in asingle visualization can be obtained from multiple systems or datasources. For example, a time series chart could display the number ofcurrent incidents by the hour and also overlay the average number ofincidents over a period of several days. In another example, a map mightshow both emergency calls and arrests.

The platform may also provide general scripts that can be used to createcustomized user interfaces so that the user does not have to write code.Such scripts can include SQL or proprietary scripts, for example. Insome embodiments, the platform provides a configuration plugin template,and the user can use a command line to start implementing the overviewuser interface or the executive dashboard. The template may specify theconfigurations and/or settings for generating the customized userinterface 700, 100. The platform can allow various aspects of the userinterface 700, 100 to be configured, such as by using a visualizationframework, configuration framework, and/or layout framework. In oneembodiment, the visualization framework allows users to implement theirown visualizations that can be used in the dashboard. The configurationframework may allow users to implement their own data source andtransform the data to be displayed in a visualization. The layoutframework may take the requested size of a visualization (e.g., 2 rowshigh and 2 columns wide) and fit it into the dashboard's layout.

One of the features of the user interface 700, 100 is that customizationof panels 710, 110 in the user interface 700, 100 can be simple and easyfor the users. The panels 710, 110 may be easily rearranged, and thedimensions of the panels 710, 110 can be specified in a simple manner(e.g., by number of rows and columns). In one embodiment, a panel 710,110 can be dragged to a location within the user interface 700, 100 toarrange its position. In another embodiment, the user can add or selectpanels 710, 110 of the user's choice to create a customized userinterface 700, 100 (e.g., in real-time). The user interface 700, 100 maybe a web interface.

Other aspects of the user interface 700, 100 may also be configured andcustomized. Such aspects can include pages, page layout, securitysettings, visualizations, etc. In some embodiments, the user interface700, 100 are organized as multiple pages, and one page of the userinterface 700, 100 may be displayed at one time. The different pages maybe grouped by categories. Similarly, the panels 710, 110 can be groupedby categories. Access or security settings may be specified for a groupof pages or panels 710, 110, and only those with the access privilegesmay be able to view a certain page or panel 710, 110. For example, if auser does not have access rights to a particular panel 710, 110, theuser interface 700, 100 would not display the panel 710, 110 for thatuser. The features of a visualization could also be customized. Forexample, the user can specify the maximum length of a bar in a bar chartwithin the panel 710, 110 or the colors used for the bars.

In certain embodiments, the user interface 700, 100 detects or isotherwise aware of the user interface mode in which it is displayed andadjusts the way the user interface 700, 100 is presented on a displaydevice. For example, the user interface 700, 100 may be displayed infull screen mode. The user interface mode (“UI mode”) can be designatedby a specific application. For large screens (e.g., 10-foot display),the user interface 700, 100 could be displayed for showcasing purposes,rather than (or in addition to) performing daily operations. In suchcase, the user interface 700, 100 can be adjusted to be more fitting forlarge screens. The UI mode for displaying on large screens may bereferred to as “large screen mode” or “10-foot mode.” In large screenmode, the user interface 700, 100 may not concurrently display thepanels 710, 110, but instead rotate one or more panels 710, 110 at aninterval. Also, filters 750, 150 may not be displayed, and fewer detailsmay be shown in the user interface 700, 100 and/or the panels 710, 110.Text and/or graphical elements can be larger so they can be seen from adistance. Each panel 710, 110 may also know about the UI mode and adjustitself to be more appropriately displayed in a selected UI mode.

Figures have been explained with respect to law enforcement agencies,but the user interfaces described in this disclosure may be used byother types of organizations. Some examples include fire departments,offices of mayors, etc. Fire departments may use the overview userinterface to track service calls. A mayor's office may use the overviewuser interface to manage building jobs and building complaints. Forexample, by viewing the building jobs and building complaints in thesame panel or user interface, the mayor's office can note anycorrelations between the jobs and the complaints at a glance. Asexplained above, the techniques of this disclosure may provide a userinterface 700, 100 that can be easily configured and customized and thatcan display a customizable overview of high-level data. The overviewdata can assist decision makers in obtaining relevant data at a glanceand making informed decisions.

FIGS. 8A-8I are expanded view of the various panels 700 illustrated inFIG. 7, which can be included in a user interface for visualizing dataof a law enforcement agency. FIG. 8A illustrates one embodiment of thepanel 710 a that provides a map 810 of important arrests in ageographical area (e.g., the U.S.). The map 810 may be narrowed down bya geographical region of interest. In most cases, law enforcementagencies are local to particular regions, and the default region shownin the panel 800 a can be set to the particular region associated with alaw enforcement agency. The circles 815 are visual indicators thatrepresent arrests across the geographical area. The importance orpriority level of the arrests may be indicated by the relative size ofthe circles 815. The importance of an arrest may be determined by thelaw enforcement agency, e.g., based on a variety of factors. Forexample, a law enforcement agency may assign a number or a level (e.g.,high, low, etc.) indicating the importance of the arrest. Importance maybe provided as a property of an arrest object or event. Also, differenttypes of arrests may be indicated by colors or patterns of the circles815.

The map 810 is configured to allow the user to drill down from a largerarea to a smaller area. In one example, the map 810 starts with showinga country (e.g., the U.S.). The user clicks (or scrolls, presses acertain key, provides an audible command, or any other predefined input)on a state within the country, and the map 810 zooms in to show thestate. The user clicks on a county in the state, and the map 810 zoomsin to display the county. The user then can click on a city in thecounty, and the map 810 zooms in to show the details for that city, andso forth. In this way, the same panel or user interface can displayinformation of varying levels of depth.

FIG. 8B illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 b that provides a barchart 820 showing arrests by regions. The example in FIG. 8B displaysthe arrests for different cities. A bar can represent the number ofarrests for a city or region. The number of arrests may also bedisplayed over the bar for the city or region. In one embodiment,clicking on a bar works as a filter, and when the user clicks on a barfor a city or region, the data in the other panels in the user interfacemay update to apply the filter. The bar chart 820 can display multipleseries of data, for example, in the form of stacked sets of bars, whichmay be referred to as the stacked bar chart.

FIG. 8C illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 c that provides a barchart 830 showing arrest priority. The example in FIG. 8C displays threedifferent priority levels for arrests: low, high, and urgent. A bar canrepresent the number of arrests for a specific priority level, and thenumber of arrests can also be displayed over the bar for the prioritylevel. The priority levels may be defined by a law enforcement agency asappropriate.

FIG. 8D illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 d that provides atable 840 of high priority calls for the geographical area. Similar toFIG. 4, the table 840 supports paging and can be organized as a numberof pages. One page may be displayed at a time, and the different pagesof the table 840 can be navigated using “prev,” “next,” “first,” and“last” buttons. A page in the table may be scrolled within the panel 710d. The information in the table 840 can be displayed in rows andcolumns. The table 840 can include various types of information,depending on the preference or requirements of a law enforcement agency.The example of FIG. 8D includes date, arrest description, arrest region,arrest priority, and arrest subjects. Priority may indicate the level ofcrime associated with the arrest, such that more dangerous crimes mayhave a higher level of priority. Subjects may refer to subjects ortopics relating to the arrest. The data in the table 840 can be sortedby columns (e.g., priority).

FIG. 8E illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 e that provides briefdetails of the largest arrest. The user interface may include a panelthat provides overview information for a prominent arrest in ageographical area. In one embodiment, the largest arrest is an arrestwith the largest number of individuals arrested in relation to a certainevent. In the example of FIG. 8E, the information included is personcount, status, and location name. Person count may refer to the numberof individuals involved in the arrest. The user can view more detailedinformation by clicking on a link or a button. The panel may be anexample of object summary visualization. For example, an arrest can berepresented as an object as explained in connection with FIGS. 10-11.Information about the arrest can be represented as various properties ofthe object. The object summary may include some or all of the propertiesrelating to the object. The object summary can include a link to theobject itself. For example, clicking on a link or a button can bring upthe screen that includes more detailed information about the object.Such screen may be referred to as the “object inspector.” The objectsummary or the object inspector may also include links for obtaininginformation about the object in other applications.

FIG. 8F illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 f that provides a timeseries chart 860 showing arrest trend. A time series chart can be aspecific example of a line graph. A time series chart may show changesover time or time-bucketed events as a line chart. Discrete events maybe represented by visual indicators (e.g., circles or bubbles). The timeseries chart can overlay multiple series as illustrated with respect toFIG. 8I. The time series chart 860 in FIG. 8F shows the arrest trendover several months. The months are plotted on the x-axis, and thenumber of arrests is plotted on the y-axis. The legend 865 providesinformation on the type of data that is plotted. Here, the linerepresents arrests. In certain embodiments, the time series chart cansupport selecting a time range on the time series chart itself. Forexample, the user can drag from left to right in order to create a timeregion, and the time region could be applied as a filter to the some orall of the panels 710. The time series chart may also display detailedinformation for a point when the mouse hovers over that point.

FIG. 8G illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 g that provides asankey or flow diagram 870. A flow diagram can show how objects movebetween states and/or categories. The example of FIG. 8G includes threestates: State A 875 a; State B 875 b; and State C 875 c. The flowdiagram 870 shows arrests moving from State A 875 a to State B 875 b,arrests moving from State A 875 a to State C 875 c, and arrests movingfrom State B 875 b to State C 875 c. In one example, State A 875 a canrepresent arrest warrant issued, and State C 875 c can represent arrestcompleted. State B 875 b can represent an intermediate state, forexample, where an attempt at arrest has been made but was unsuccessful.The width of a flow can be proportional to the quantity included in thatflow. Similar to other panels, the flow diagram 870 may be updated inrealtime as the user adjust one or more filters, such as to adjust atime period for which data is compiled in generating the flow diagram870.

FIG. 8H illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 h that provides a worddiagram 880. A word diagram may display various keywords according tothe relative occurrence, count, or size associated with each keyword.The example of 8H displays city names in different sizes. A city thathas more arrests than other cities may appear bigger in the word diagram880; conversely, a city that has fewer arrests than other cities mayappear smaller. Different colors may be used to display the keywords.The colors could represent another type of information, or simply makeit easier to set the words apart from each other. The word diagram canhelp visualize prevalence of various words. In other embodiments, sizeof the keywords may be determined based on other factors, such asemergency calls, average response time to emergency calls, casualties,and/or any other attribute or combination of attributes associated withrespective law enforcement agencies.

FIG. 8I illustrates one embodiment of a panel 710 i that providesanother time series chart 890 showing arrest trend by priority. The timeseries chart 890 can be similar to the time series chart 860 in FIG. 8F.The time series chart 890 also shows arrest trend, but breaks down thearrests by priority level. A separate line represents arrests at apriority level. The months are plotted on the x-axis, and the number ofarrests is plotted on the y-axis. The legend 895 provides information onthe type of data that is plotted. Here, the first line indicates highpriority arrests; the second line indicates low priority arrests; andthe third line indicates urgent arrests.

Filters can narrow or drill down the information displayed in the userinterface 700,100 and/or the panels 710, 110. Filters can be temporalfilters or object filters. Information displayed in the panels 710, 110can be represented by objects, and object filters may filter data basedon various properties of objects. Different types of filters mayinclude: a keyword filter, a date filter, a time filter, a multiplevalue filter, etc. A keyword filter can accept one or more keywords forfiltering the data. A keyword filter may support full-text searching.For example, full texts of objects can be searched. A date filter, atime filter, or a date picker may allow the user to select a specifictime, date, range of time, range of date, etc. A multiple value ormulti-value filter may accept more than one value for filtering thedata. Users may also create their own filters (e.g., as plug-infilters). Various types of filters may be used in combination. Forexample, one filter is both a keyword filter and a multi-value filter;the user can enter one or more keywords in the keyword filter.

When filters are applied in the user interface 700, 100 or a panel 710,110 in the user interface 700, 100, the user interface 700,100 or thepanel 710, 110 can show an indication that the data has been filtered.For example, the user interface 700, 100 can include a button forundoing the filtering or returning to the previous unfiltered data, orthe user interface 700, 100 can have a reset button to return to theinitial view without any filtering. Applying a filter in one panel 710,110 may filter the data in some or all of the other panels 710, 110.Generally, the filter will apply to the panels 710, 110 included in theuser interface 700, 100. However, in some cases, application of thefilter to a particular panel 710, 110 may make it more difficult for theuser to navigate. For example, in FIG. 8B, the selection of a bar chartfor a city or a region can work as a filter to display the data for thatcity or region; FIG. 8B does not filter the cities or regions initiallydisplayed in the panel 710 b so that the user can click on the bars fordifferent cities or regions to view the corresponding data, but the datain the other panels 710 in the user interface are updated to reflect thefilter. The panels 710, 110 and/or the user interface 700, 100 mayrefresh when filters are applied.

Example Method

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart for providing a user interface includingmultiple panels for visualizing emergency call data of a law enforcementagency, according to certain embodiments. The process 900 is explainedin connection with FIGS. 1-2, but may also apply to FIGS. 7-8 or otherexecutive dashboards. Certain details relating to the process 900 areexplained in more detail with respect to FIGS. 1-8. The process 900 maybe implemented by one or more systems described with respect to FIGS.10-11, such as by a server system that has access to the variousemergency call data and generates the various panels and visualizationsrequests by users. Depending on the embodiment, the process 900 mayinclude fewer or additional blocks, and the blocks may be performed inan order that is different than illustrated.

At block 902, the process 900 generates a user interface 100 configuredto concurrently display a plurality of panels 110 each including avisual representation based on emergency call data of a law enforcementagency. In this embodiment, the emergency call data includes dataassociated with a plurality of emergency calls. Types of visualrepresentation or visualizations included in a panel 110 may include: amap, a bar chart, a table, a line graph, a time series chart, an objectsummary, a flow diagram, a word diagram, a pie chart, a time wheel, etc.The details relating to each type of visual representation are explainedwith respect to FIGS. 1-8.

At block 904, a map panel of a geographical region associated with thelaw enforcement agency is included in the user interface (such as thefirst panel 110 a discussed above). The map of the geographical regionmay include a plurality of selectable precinct indicators representing acorresponding plurality of precincts for which the law enforcementagency has at least some law enforcement responsibilities. The pluralityof precinct indicators may each show the number of emergency calls in aparticular precinct. The precinct indicators may have different colorsto convey information at a glance. For example, indicators for precinctswith high number of emergency calls may be shown in orange; indicatorsfor precincts with low number of emergency calls may be shown in green.

At block 906, in response to receiving a selection (e.g., from anexecutive viewing the executive dashboard) of a particular precinctindicator corresponding to a particular precinct, the map panel isupdated to display one or more emergency call indicators representing acorresponding one or more emergency calls within the selected precinct.Emergency calls may be represented as objects and have propertiesassociated with them, such as job ID, time and date, location, radiocode, assigned resource, comments, etc. The one or more emergency callindicators can have different colors and/or shapes to convey informationquickly. For example, different colors correspond to different types ofjobs or radio codes, and different shapes indicate how recent theemergency calls are.

At block 908, in response to receiving a selection of a particularemergency call indicator corresponding to a particular emergency call,the map panel is updated to display information relating to theparticular emergency call. Information about the emergency call may bedisplayed on the map itself or in a separate pop-up window. In oneexample, brief information is shown on the map itself, next to theemergency call indicator, and detailed information is displayed in theseparate pop-up window. The details may include job number, time anddate, location, comments, etc.

In certain embodiments, a second panel displaying a statistic relatingto at least some of the emergency call data is included in the userinterface. In one embodiment, the statistic in the second panel isassociated with the one or more emergency calls within the particularprecinct. In another embodiment, the statistic in the second panel isassociated with emergency calls in all of the plurality of precincts inthe geographical region.

In some embodiments, a filter may be applied to the map panel. Applyingthe filter may update the map panel to display the one or more emergencycall indicators that meet criteria indicated by the filter. Types offilters can include: a keyword filter, a date filter, a time filter, amultiple value filter, etc. The filter applied in the map panel can alsobe applied in the second panel and/or another panel of the plurality ofpanels.

The type of information displayed in the panels may include: highpriority emergency calls, historical trend of emergency calls, top radiocodes, top radio subcodes, etc. For example, the plurality of panelsother than the map panel can display any of the different types ofinformation listed above.

Definitions

In order to facilitate an understanding of the systems and methodsdiscussed herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms definedbelow, as well as other terms used herein, should be construed toinclude the provided definitions, the ordinary and customary meaning ofthe terms, and/or any other implied meaning for the respective terms.Thus, the definitions below do not limit the meaning of these terms, butonly provide exemplary definitions.

Ontology: Stored information that provides a data model for storage ofdata in one or more databases. For example, the stored data may comprisedefinitions for object types and property types for data in a database,and how objects and properties may be related.

Database: A broad term for any data structure for storing and/ororganizing data, including, but not limited to, relational databases(Oracle database, mySQL database, etc.), spreadsheets, XML files, andtext file, among others.

Data Object or Object: A data container for information representingspecific things in the world that have a number of definable properties.For example, a data object can represent an entity such as a person, aplace, an organization, a market instrument, or other noun. A dataobject can represent an event that happens at a point in time or for aduration. A data object can represent a document or other unstructureddata source such as an e-mail message, a news report, or a written paperor article. Each data object may be associated with a unique identifierthat uniquely identifies the data object. The object's attributes (e.g.metadata about the object) may be represented in one or more properties.

Object Type: Type of a data object (e.g., Person, Event, or Document).Object types may be defined by an ontology and may be modified orupdated to include additional object types. An object definition (e.g.,in an ontology) may include how the object is related to other objects,such as being a sub-object type of another object type (e.g. an agentmay be a sub-object type of a person object type), and the propertiesthe object type may have.

Properties: Attributes of a data object that represent individual dataitems. At a minimum, each property of a data object has a property typeand a value or values.

Property Type: The type of data a property is, such as a string, aninteger, or a double. Property types may include complex property types,such as a series data values associated with timed ticks (e.g. a timeseries), etc.

Property Value: The value associated with a property, which is of thetype indicated in the property type associated with the property. Aproperty may have multiple values.

Link: A connection between two data objects, based on, for example, arelationship, an event, and/or matching properties. Links may bedirectional, such as one representing a payment from person A to B, orbidirectional.

Link Set: Set of multiple links that are shared between two or more dataobjects.

Object Centric Data Model

To provide a framework for the following discussion of specific systemsand methods described herein, an example database system 1210 using anontology 1205 will now be described. This description is provided forthe purpose of providing an example and is not intended to limit thetechniques to the example data model, the example database system, orthe example database system's use of an ontology to representinformation.

In one embodiment, a body of data is conceptually structured accordingto an object-centric data model represented by ontology 1205. Theconceptual data model is independent of any particular database used fordurably storing one or more database(s) 1209 based on the ontology 1205.For example, each object of the conceptual data model may correspond toone or more rows in a relational database or an entry in LightweightDirectory Access Protocol (LDAP) database, or any combination of one ormore databases.

FIG. 10 illustrates an object-centric conceptual data model according toan embodiment. An ontology 1205, as noted above, may include storedinformation providing a data model for storage of data in the database1209. The ontology 1205 may be defined by one or more object types,which may each be associated with one or more property types. At thehighest level of abstraction, data object 1201 is a container forinformation representing things in the world. For example, data object1201 can represent an entity such as a person, a place, an organization,a market instrument, or other noun. Data object 1201 can represent anevent that happens at a point in time or for a duration. Data object1201 can represent a document or other unstructured data source such asan e-mail message, a news report, or a written paper or article. Eachdata object 1201 is associated with a unique identifier that uniquelyidentifies the data object within the database system.

Different types of data objects may have different property types. Forexample, a “Person” data object might have an “Eye Color” property typeand an “Event” data object might have a “Date” property type. Eachproperty 203 as represented by data in the database system 1210 may havea property type defined by the ontology 1205 used by the database 1205.

Objects may be instantiated in the database 1209 in accordance with thecorresponding object definition for the particular object in theontology 1205. For example, a specific monetary payment (e.g., an objectof type “event”) of US$30.00 (e.g., a property of type “currency”)taking place on Mar. 27, 2009 (e.g., a property of type “date”) may bestored in the database 1209 as an event object with associated currencyand date properties as defined within the ontology 1205.

The data objects defined in the ontology 1205 may support propertymultiplicity. In particular, a data object 1201 may be allowed to havemore than one property 203 of the same property type. For example, a“Person” data object might have multiple “Address” properties ormultiple “Name” properties.

Each link 1202 represents a connection between two data objects 1201. Inone embodiment, the connection is either through a relationship, anevent, or through matching properties. A relationship connection may beasymmetrical or symmetrical. For example, “Person” data object A may beconnected to “Person” data object B by a “Child Of” relationship (where“Person” data object B has an asymmetric “Parent Of” relationship to“Person” data object A), a “Kin Of” symmetric relationship to “Person”data object C, and an asymmetric “Member Of” relationship to“Organization” data object X. The type of relationship between two dataobjects may vary depending on the types of the data objects. Forexample, “Person” data object A may have an “Appears In” relationshipwith “Document” data object Y or have a “Participate In” relationshipwith “Event” data object E. As an example of an event connection, two“Person” data objects may be connected by an “Airline Flight” dataobject representing a particular airline flight if they traveledtogether on that flight, or by a “Meeting” data object representing aparticular meeting if they both attended that meeting. In oneembodiment, when two data objects are connected by an event, they arealso connected by relationships, in which each data object has aspecific relationship to the event, such as, for example, an “AppearsIn” relationship.

As an example of a matching properties connection, two “Person” dataobjects representing a brother and a sister, may both have an “Address”property that indicates where they live. If the brother and the sisterlive in the same home, then their “Address” properties likely containsimilar, if not identical property values. In one embodiment, a linkbetween two data objects may be established based on similar or matchingproperties (e.g., property types and/or property values) of the dataobjects. These are just some examples of the types of connections thatmay be represented by a link and other types of connections may berepresented; embodiments are not limited to any particular types ofconnections between data objects. For example, a document might containreferences to two different objects. For example, a document may containa reference to a payment (one object), and a person (a second object). Alink between these two objects may represent a connection between thesetwo entities through their co-occurrence within the same document.

Each data object 1201 can have multiple links with another data object1201 to form a link set 1204. For example, two “Person” data objectsrepresenting a husband and a wife could be linked through a “Spouse Of”relationship, a matching “Address” property, and one or more matching“Event” properties (e.g., a wedding). Each link 1202 as represented bydata in a database may have a link type defined by the database ontologyused by the database.

Implementation Mechanisms

According to one embodiment, the techniques described herein areimplemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices. Thespecial-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform thetechniques, or may include circuitry or digital electronic devices suchas one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed toperform the techniques, or may include one or more hardware processorsprogrammed to perform the techniques pursuant to program instructions infirmware, memory, other storage, or a combination. Such special-purposecomputing devices may also combine custom hard-wired logic, ASICs, orFPGAs with custom programming to accomplish the techniques. Thespecial-purpose computing devices may be desktop computer systems,server computer systems, portable computer systems, handheld devices,networking devices or any other device or combination of devices thatincorporate hard-wired and/or program logic to implement the techniques.

Computing device(s) are generally controlled and coordinated byoperating system software, such as iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows XP,Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Windows CE, Unix,Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, Blackberry OS, VxWorks, or other compatibleoperating systems. In other embodiments, the computing device may becontrolled by a proprietary operating system. Conventional operatingsystems control and schedule computer processes for execution, performmemory management, provide file system, networking, I/O services, andprovide a user interface functionality, such as a graphical userinterface (“GUI”), among other things.

For example, FIG. 11 is a block diagram that illustrates a computersystem 1800 upon which an embodiment may be implemented. For example,the computing system 1800 may comprises a server system that accesseslaw enforcement data and provides user interface data to one or moreusers (e.g., executives) that allows those users to view their desiredexecutive dashboards and interface with the data. Other computingsystems discussed herein, such as the user (e.g., executive), mayinclude any portion of the circuitry and/or functionality discussed withreference to system 1800.

Computer system 1800 includes a bus 1802 or other communicationmechanism for communicating information, and a hardware processor, ormultiple processors, 1804 coupled with bus 1802 for processinginformation. Hardware processor(s) 1804 may be, for example, one or moregeneral purpose microprocessors.

Computer system 1800 also includes a main memory 1806, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic storage devices, coupledto bus 1802 for storing information and instructions to be executed byprocessor 1804. Main memory 1806 also may be used for storing temporaryvariables or other intermediate information during execution ofinstructions to be executed by processor 1804. Such instructions, whenstored in storage media accessible to processor 1804, render computersystem 1800 into a special-purpose machine that is customized to performthe operations specified in the instructions.

Computer system 1800 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 808 orother static storage device coupled to bus 1802 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 1804. A storage device 1810,such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or USB thumb drive (Flash drive),etc., is provided and coupled to bus 1802 for storing information andinstructions.

Computer system 1800 may be coupled via bus 1802 to a display 1812, suchas a cathode ray tube (CRT) or LCD display (or touch screen), fordisplaying information to a computer user. An input device 1814,including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus 1802 forcommunicating information and command selections to processor 1804.Another type of user input device is cursor control 1816, such as amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 1804 and for controllingcursor movement on display 1812. This input device typically has twodegrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis(e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane. Insome embodiments, the same direction information and command selectionsas cursor control may be implemented via receiving touches on a touchscreen without a cursor.

Computing system 1800 may include a user interface module to implement aGUI that may be stored in a mass storage device as executable softwarecodes that are executed by the computing device(s). This and othermodules may include, by way of example, components, such as softwarecomponents, object-oriented software components, class components andtask components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures,subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode,circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, andvariables.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodiedin hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions,possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programminglanguage, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software modulemay be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in adynamic link library, or may be written in an interpreted programminglanguage such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will beappreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules orfrom themselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events orinterrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computingdevices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compactdisc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any othertangible medium, or as a digital download (and may be originally storedin a compressed or installable format that requires installation,decompression or decryption prior to execution). Such software code maybe stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executingcomputing device, for execution by the computing device. Softwareinstructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will befurther appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connectedlogic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or may be comprised ofprogrammable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. Themodules or computing device functionality described herein arepreferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented inhardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer tological modules that may be combined with other modules or divided intosub-modules despite their physical organization or storage

Computer system 1800 may implement the techniques described herein usingcustomized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/orprogram logic which in combination with the computer system causes orprograms computer system 1800 to be a special-purpose machine. Accordingto one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed by computersystem 1800 in response to processor(s) 1804 executing one or moresequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 1806.Such instructions may be read into main memory 1806 from another storagemedium, such as storage device 1810. Execution of the sequences ofinstructions contained in main memory 1806 causes processor(s) 1804 toperform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions.

The term “non-transitory media,” and similar terms, as used hereinrefers to any media that store data and/or instructions that cause amachine to operate in a specific fashion. Such non-transitory media maycomprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile mediaincludes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device1810. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 1806.Common forms of non-transitory media include, for example, a floppydisk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, orany other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical datastorage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, aPROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip orcartridge, and networked versions of the same.

Non-transitory media is distinct from but may be used in conjunctionwith transmission media. Transmission media participates in transferringinformation between nontransitory media. For example, transmission mediaincludes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise bus 1802. Transmission media can also take the formof acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-waveand infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequencesof one or more instructions to processor 1804 for execution. Forexample, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk orsolid state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 1800 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 1802. Bus 1802 carries the data tomain memory 1806, from which processor 1804 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 1806 mayretrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received bymain memory 1806 may optionally be stored on storage device 1810 eitherbefore or after execution by processor 1804.

Computer system 1800 also includes a communication interface 1818coupled to bus 1802. Communication interface 1818 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 1820 that is connected toa local network 1822. For example, communication interface 1818 may bean integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem,satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data communication connectionto a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example,communication interface 1818 may be a local area network (LAN) card toprovide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN (or WANcomponent to communicated with a WAN). Wireless links may also beimplemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 1818sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals thatcarry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 1820 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 1820 mayprovide a connection through local network 1822 to a host computer 1824or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP)1826. ISP 1826 in turn provides data communication services through theworld wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to asthe “Internet” 1828. Local network 1822 and Internet 1828 both useelectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams. The signals through the various networks and the signals onnetwork link 1820 and through communication interface 1818, which carrythe digital data to and from computer system 1800, are example forms oftransmission media.

Computer system 1800 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 1820 andcommunication interface 1818. In the Internet example, a server 1830might transmit a requested code for an application program throughInternet 1828, ISP 1826, local network 1822 and communication interface1818.

The received code may be executed by processor 1804 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 1810, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution.

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in thepreceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automatedby, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computerprocessors comprising computer hardware. The processes and algorithmsmay be implemented partially or wholly in application-specificcircuitry.

The various features and processes described above may be usedindependently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. Allpossible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall withinthe scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or processblocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processesdescribed herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, andthe blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in othersequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or statesmay be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, ormultiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state.The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, orin some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed fromthe disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and componentsdescribed herein may be configured differently than described. Forexample, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged comparedto the disclosed example embodiments.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certainembodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that nomatter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can bepracticed in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted thatthe use of particular terminology when describing certain features oraspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that theterminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including anyspecific characteristics of the features or aspects of the inventionwith which that terminology is associated. The scope of the inventionshould therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims andany equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system configured to provide a dynamicuser interface relating to visualizations of data associated with a lawenforcement agency, the computer system comprising: one or more hardwarecomputer processors configured to execute code to cause the system to:generate a dynamic user interface configured to concurrently display aplurality of panels including visual representations based on dataassociated with a law enforcement agency, wherein the plurality ofpanels comprises at least: a first panel displaying a map of ageographical region including a plurality of selectable indicatorsrepresenting a corresponding plurality of events, the first panelconfigured to: in response to receiving a selection of a particularindicator, update the map displayed in the first panel to display,overlaid on the map, one or more detail information items related to theparticular indicator; and in response to receiving an indication of ageographical area, update the first panel to display selectableindicators representing events associated with the geographical area onthe map; and a second panel configured to display at least some dataassociated with the law enforcement agency related to events, whereinthe second panel is configured to not update in response to receivingthe indication of the geographical area.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of panels further comprise at least a visualrepresentation including at least one of: a map, a bar chart, a table, aline graph, a time series chart, an object summary, a flow diagram, aword diagram, a pie chart, or a time wheel.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of events include at least one of: high priorityemergency calls, historical trend of emergency calls, top radio codes,or top radio subcodes.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the code isfurther configured to cause the system to: apply a filter to the firstpanel, wherein applying the filter updates the first panel to displaythe one or more detail information items that meet criteria indicated bythe filter.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the filter comprises atleast one of: a keyword filter, a date filter, a time filter, or amultiple value filter.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein applying thefilter to the first panel applies the filter to one or more other panelsof the plurality of panels.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein each panelin the plurality of panels is resizable.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein settings for each panel in the plurality of panels arecustomized for an individual user, a group of users, or an organization.9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more detail informationitems are displayed in a pop-up overlaid on the map.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of panels further comprises at least: athird panel displaying a list of the events corresponding to at leastsome of the events associated with the geographical area represented inthe first panel, the third panel configured to dynamically update thelist in response to receiving the indication of the geographical area inthe first panel to show events associated with the indicatedgeographical area and not events associated with other geographicalareas.
 11. A method of providing a dynamic user interface relating tovisualizations of data associated with a law enforcement agency, themethod comprising: by one or more hardware computer processorsconfigured to execute code: generating a dynamic user interfaceconfigured to concurrently display a plurality of panels includingvisual representations based on data associated with a law enforcementagency; displaying in the user interface a first panel of the pluralityof panels, the first panel displaying a map of a geographical regionincluding a plurality of selectable indicators representing acorresponding plurality of events; in response to receiving a selectionof a particular indicator, updating the map displayed in the first panelto display, overlaid on the map, one or more detail information itemsrelated to the particular indicator; in response to receiving anindication of a geographical area, updating the first panel to displayselectable indicators representing events associated with thegeographical area on the map; and displaying in the user interface asecond panel of the plurality of panels, the second panel configured todisplay at least some data associated with the law enforcement agencyrelated to events, wherein the second panel is configured to not updatein response to receiving the indication of the geographical area. 12.The method of claim 11 further comprising: by the one or more hardwarecomputer processors configured to execute code: applying a filter to thefirst panel, wherein applying the filter updates the first panel todisplay the one or more detail information items that meet criteriaindicated by the filter.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the filtercomprises at least one of: a keyword filter, a date filter, a timefilter, or a multiple value filter.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereinapplying the filter to the first panel applies the filter to one or moreother panels of the plurality of panels.
 15. The method of claim 11,wherein each panel in the plurality of panels is resizable.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, wherein settings for each panel in the plurality ofpanels are customized for an individual user, a group of users, or anorganization.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more detailinformation items are displayed in a pop-up overlaid on the map.
 18. Themethod of claim 11 further comprising: by the one or more hardwarecomputer processors configured to execute code: displaying in the userinterface a third panel of the plurality of panels, the third paneldisplaying a list of the events corresponding to at least some of theevents associated with the geographical area represented in the firstpanel, the third panel configured to dynamically update the list inresponse to receiving the indication of the geographical area in thefirst panel to show events associated with the indicated geographicalarea and not events associated with other geographical areas.
 19. Anon-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions forproviding a dynamic user interface relating to visualizations of dataassociated with a law enforcement agency and that cause a hardwarecomputer processor to: generate a dynamic user interface configured toconcurrently display a plurality of panels including visualrepresentations based on data associated with a law enforcement agency;display in the user interface a first panel of the plurality of panels,the first panel displaying a map of a geographical region including aplurality of selectable indicators representing a correspondingplurality of events; in response to receiving a selection of aparticular indicator, update the map displayed in the first panel todisplay, overlaid on the map, one or more detail information itemsrelated to the particular indicator; in response to receiving anindication of a geographical area, update the first panel to displayselectable indicators representing events associated with thegeographical area on the map; and display in the user interface a secondpanel of the plurality of panels, the second panel configured to displayat least some data associated with the law enforcement agency related toevents, wherein the second panel is configured to not update in responseto receiving the indication of the geographical area.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein theinstructions further cause a hardware computer processor to: apply afilter to the first panel, wherein applying the filter updates the firstpanel to display the one or more detail information items that meetcriteria indicated by the filter.